The Medved: I think most of our readers would love to know who you are, where from and how did you get in the World of the FC...but I am sure they will be able to find this info in previous interviews, and I want to talk to you about something else... Tell us please, was it hard to leave the FC, to make the decision to get blocked? And what made you do it?
Penny: It was very hard because I left a lot there. Not just all the work I tried to do, but most of it - many friends. I decided to let myself block after I noticed that I couldn’t help this town anymore and another game gave me a very good contract to promote it.
The Medved: Was there anyone who could have made you change your decision, no matter what happened around you?
Penny: Sure. Leaving FC hurt a lot, and I was never really sure if I did the right thing, but it was just time to go.
The Medved: You’ve been away for quite a while, what have you been doing all this time?
Penny: I signed a contract with another game and we made second place in Europe 2 weeks ago. Also we sold our concept to the German Telecom, a thing I planed for FC before.
The Medved: Have you been thinking about FC all this time?
Penny: Sure. I always read all the news I was able to translate and sometimes I was very mad about what could have been. To say a number, in 4 month of really hard work we made 9000 new users. Imagine that in our beautiful city :-)
The Medved: =P yeah...
Penny: :-)
The Medved: How long did you come back for?
Penny: I dunno. I was just hoping to see all my friends again and check how much bigger NC is now. I guess I will stay for a while, even my first game is still somewhere else, at least as long as my contract runs. After that I don’t know if I would join another game, take a break, or whatever.
The Medved: What made you come back and what is the aim of your comeback?
Penny: Making me come back were many players of FC who asked me to and my wish to see all the changes the people here were doing. I have no aim here. I also don’t really fight, just relax and still try to help, if I can.
The Medved: Is your comeback by any chance connected with restorage in rank of legendary Jetkokos?
Penny: Jetkokos is a man I always had respect for and he was the reason for me to become pal. Working with him again would be awesome. But I don’t think there will be a chance to again.
The Medved: What momental thoughts come to your mind, connected with Fight club? What is it: friends, vivid past, might-have-been future or undefined reality?
Penny: I just think back in the time a lot. The time I was head pal (even if it was very short=)) and the best pal team I have ever seen. The way we saw NC grow, having 120,140 people online already. If I think about that days it hurts a bit. But I also have a lot respect for DrWeb and I know he will make this city big soon too.
The Medved: Would you have taken up the "golden cross", if you had a chance?
Penny: After my contract and with a clear speaking to angels, sure. Straight.
The most important thing, I was never able to explain anybody, cause I never had the chance to, is that if you want to build up a game in Europe/USA it has to be totally different to the ru version, same as if you make one in Asia, cause people expect something different in each country.
The Medved: Thanks to our Admins, the World of the Fight Club is very dynamic, although it doesn’t concern our “village” as much, but anyway your comeback after a long break does differ with the first impressions about the FC, what did you feel when you came back?
Penny: It was funny, cause I never thought so many people remember me after this time. It was sad that many friends were gone and the population decreased.
The Medved: How did you imagine your comeback?
Penny: I thought I come in a room with 200 people at least and nobody, or just a few, recognize me. But both was 100% different to what I thought.
The Medved: Was there any disappointment or unexpected surprises?
Penny: A bit of both. On the one hand- I was very happy that many people still remember me and on the other hand- I felt like 7 month ago with an empty city.
The Medved: Your way in career and growth in level was very rapid, an avalanche of emotions. Would you ever want to make a “step back” and try to make at least half of this way as a common player?
Penny: Hmm, actually I always get a "role" fast in a game I take part in. I don’t know why, but I am clan leader of the biggest clan in this other game now, I played quests in other ones. I never had this "normal" way. Maybe this is the reason why I don’t care about personal success, levels, arts, or whatever so much.
The Medved: Every person has things he feels sorry about for doing them, what is it for you in the Fight Club?
Penny: When I became head pal I guess I wanted too much for this town too fast and I bet this is one of the reasons I got fired so quick. I am mad that I lost that chance so fast after 2 weeks. And that I never played any games when I was in Emerald. Or that I couldn’t talk to anybody in this game cause I had not enough time. Actually many things :-)
The Medved: hope you'll get a chance to fix it, let's speak about FC as a project...
Penny: ok :-)
The Medved: Almost from the foundation of the project the arguement about the alignments and their role in the FC is going on. In my opinion the creators made sure about the models of activities, roles and actions of certain alignments. What is your opinion on this question?
Penny: I just know it from other games. Just the alignments don’t make people fight each other, it is the personal emotions people have. So having any other alignment than pal, doesn’t have to make two people fight each other.
The Medved: One more time about alignments....the arguement about the goodies and the badies could last for ages. Maybe different nations/races/people should be introduced...so underland people would fight against the people from nice beautiful valley? How do you think the point of not having any literate plot makes changes in the World of FC?
Penny: If you make up a game you hope that you give some facts which helps a game grow its own story, but in the end everything changes anyway. This exactly is one of the best things about a game you share with others, cause all can happen. Darks fight darks, light vs. light, all is possible cause we all are just humans.
The Medved: The success of any project is made from summing up many facts: nice development strategy and quality of its realization-the chain of events. Which key events in the development of the English FC could you pick out?
Penny: The most important thing is making the people know that there is a game called FC here. But mostly about the same importance is that if the people join- it is easy to understand, or at least not that hard, and that they have fun from the first day. That means pals work is the most important. With it the games lives, or dies.
The Medved: Undoubtedly, Russian version of FC-one of the most successful entertainment projects in the whole Russian internet. How could you rate the positions and prospective of English FC in the global format of online entertainment?
Penny: Not there. I never met somebody who has ever heard of it before.
The Medved: Why not? What could be done here to make English FC as successful in the global net?
Penny: Promotion. This is what you need, this is what we started. Remember back in the days during my short period of head pal? I placed many banners on the net, we were working on many other projects which were close to get finished. And even in this time, or of course, short after it, there were more people in NC than ever before. It is normal that some people don’t like it and step back, but they way I see now is awesome. We lost half of the population, if I see it right.
The Medved: For the ending I am going to give you a unique ability: answer the most common questions noobs ask you - hopefully it’s going to make the perception of the chat easier ;)
Penny: )
1. - Are you an angel?
- No, never been one.
2. - Have you ever met an angel?
- Yes, my girlfriend.
3. - Did you buy your arts?
- No, they were a present by a friend.
4. - Are you becoming pal again?
- I don’t think so.
5. - Where are you from?
- Germany
6. - Do you speak Russian?
- Not more than I can say “kak dela”, or order a vodka ;)